The Knight and the Raven
by DarkNovelist1217
Summary: After Tira meets Nightmare and becomes his servant, the two successfully hunt down and destroy Soul Calibur. Now Nightmare's reign of darkness can consume the world. But soon, souls and bloodshed are no longer able to satisfy the azure knight, and he begins to experience a new kind of hunger... Oneshot, TiraxNightmare. Sounds creepy, but is sweeter than you think. R


**The Knight and the Raven**

* * *

The azure knight paced across the plaza of the burning town around him, his long red hair swaying in tune to the clanking of his armored boots. The corpses of the guards who had foolishly tried to oppose him lay about in heaps with the townsfolk, the stench of freshly spilt blood rank in the air. Nightmare stopped at a fountain in the center of town, and gazed at the odd scene displayed before him. A young girl with blue hair tied in two uneven pigtails, scarcely more than 6 years old, was kneeling before a dead man in front of the fountain, and was stabbing him repeatedly. The girl had a crazed look in her eye and a malicious smile spread across her face. She heard the clanking of boots, and turned to face Nightmare. Upon catching sight of the azure knight, the girl's eyes widened in admiration. She dropped the knife in her hand and ran over to the knight, wrapping her arms about his waist. Nightmare stared down at the girl in confusion. Was she not afraid in the presence of true evil? Then again, her previous actions gave the impression that she was clearly not normal. The girl shuddered slightly when the knight's large talons closed around her small form and lifted her up to his face. Nightmare's angry red eyes bore into the violet of hers. Still the girl did not show fear. In fact, she only seemed to be even more entranced with the knight as she reached out with her childish hands and rested them against the sides of his helmet. Annoyed, Nightmare growled and cruelly tossed the girl to the ground. He raised Soul Edge to strike her down. The girl stared at him for a moment before she smiled and invitingly opened her arms. Did she crave for death? Nightmare saw the longing in her eyes as he swung down. A flash of joy in the child's eyes caught his attention, and his sword came to a halt just above her little head. For reasons he could not comprehend, he pulled his sword away from the girl, and turned around to leave. He heard the girl crying out in disappointment as he walked away from the burning town, leaving her all alone. Why the azure knight had spared the child, he himself did not know. Nightmare silently swore to himself to not bother dwelling on his sudden display of mercy, and resolved to simply never do it again.

* * *

Years later, the azure knight roared as Soul Edge clashed against the crumbling walls of Ostrheinsburg Castle when Raphael dodged a strike that had been aimed at his head. The Frenchman had come to his castle searching for the cursed sword, like many before him, and had had the nerve to declare Nightmare as being 'too weak' for the weapon. Such arrogance could not go unanswered, and so had their battle begun. Nightmare slashed across the nobleman's chest, causing him to recoil. Raphael scowled before charging forward and sending a trio of rapid thrusts at the azure knight. Two of the three struck the knight in his shoulder and side, while the third was deflected into a nearby suit of armor. The nobleman's rapier became stuck in the armor, and refused to come loose despite his struggling. Nightmare seized advantage of the stumble and thrust his malfested arm forward to capture the man's head in an iron grip. Shouting with anger, the azure knight held onto his opponents head as he slammed him into the stone floor again and again. The man twitched once as a sign that he was still living, if barely. Nightmare glared at Raphael as he tightened his grip until he heard a grotesque crunch, followed shortly by the rapid flow of blood. He tossed the man's broken body to the ground and thrust Soul Edge into it, collecting his soul. It was a good meal, the man's soul had been a strong one. But the satisfaction was short lived, and the cursed sword released a short red glow. It was already hungry again. Nightmare sighed and hoisted the large sword onto his shoulder before setting out from his lair. It had become increasingly difficult to find strong souls these past few years, for there were few who could present a challenge to the mighty azure knight. He had scarcely stepped outside the ruined castle's walls before he sensed a pair of eyes watching him. Groaning in annoyance, Nightmare turned around to face what he expected to be yet another fool seeking Soul Edge's power. Instead, he found himself locking eyes with a young woman scantily clad in green and toting a large ring blade. She smiled at him with violet eyes and brushed back her blue hair out of her face. With a start, Nightmare recognized the woman as the little girl whose life he had spared so many years ago. He subconsciously traced over her figure. She had definitely developed well over the years, her finely tuned curves and ample bosom were clear signs of that. Coming back to his senses, he shook his head and cursed himself for his momentary distraction. Since when did the azure knight care about how his victims looked? The woman had easily noticed his staring, and smirked mischievously.

"Like what you see, azure knight?" she mocked cheerfully.

Nightmare huffed in annoyance. "Don't toy with me, human. I've seen you before, haven't I? Years ago, in a small town?"

"Yes, glad you remember me. That was probably the best, and the worst day of my life." the girl frowned at him.

Nightmare narrowed his eyes in confusion. "What madness do you speak of?"

"I'm sure you must have realized it, that I was different from the others. They could never understand the beauty of death like we do. When you walked into town and started slaughtering everyone in sight, I could scarcely contain my excitement. I had never before seen such a beautiful sight as I had then. I was so inspired by you that I decided to join in the fun, so I took a knife from one of the guards, ran to my father's waiting arms, and gutted the bastard." the girl's voice had changed to a slight monotone toward the end of her speech.

The azure knight stared in genuine surprise at the girl. So the dead body she had been stabbing was her father. She was even more crazed than he thought. She had even been 'inspired' by him to do it.

"Then you came to me." the girl continued. "But right when you were about to end me, to give me a beautiful death, you stopped. Why?"

Nightmare paused for a moment, unsure how to answer. "I do not know why I spared you. I have never once cared whose life I took with this blade, be it man, woman, or child. But what I want to know, is why are you here now? Do you want vengeance for someone I've killed? Or perhaps you are after Soul Edge, like so many others."

The girl shook her head. "Neither. I came after you so that I could join you."

Nightmare blinked to make sure he wasn't dreaming, not that he ever really slept. "Come again?"

"I said I want to serve you, to fight by your side."

"You want…to serve me?" he repeated in disbelief.

"Yes! How many times do I have to repeat myself?"

Nightmare went into deep thought. It would make collecting souls a lot easier with two blades instead of one, but it also meant he had to drag the girl with him wherever he went. Then again, she seemed pretty devoted to have gone through the trouble of seeking him out after all these years. That or she was a stalker. A really, really, mentally fucked up stalker.

"Tell me, if I do let you serve under me, what can you offer that would be of use to me?" he asked.

"I am well versed in the art of bloodshed, as you might have guessed." she responded gleefully.

"It's gonna take more than that to-"

"And I know where to find Soul Calibur."

Nightmare straightened in alarm at this. Now that, he had not been expecting. "Are you certain? If you're lying to me…"

"I'm not lying!" she snapped in her monotone voice.

Nightmare paused for a moment, then let out a deep sigh. "Fine, you can be my servant. But if you show me the slightest hint of betrayal, then I will kill you then and there. Understand?"

The girl nodded happily. "Yes! Don't worry my lord, I will never betray you."

She bounded over to the azure knight's side, smiling like a child. Nightmare sighed and began walking, the girl following close behind.

"Oh yes, I almost forgot. What is your name, servant?"

With a sadistic grin, the girl replied "Tira, my lord."

* * *

The azure knight and the insane girl travelled across the continent, leaving behind a trail of blood and destruction. Tira had lived up to her words, she was just as violent and bloodthirsty as Nightmare. The azure knight couldn't help but feel amused at how relentless his servant was, always eager to please her master. Eventually they came across a young monk and a Chinese girl. According to Tira, the pair was in possession of Soul Calibur, as well as another holy weapon with similar properties. The monk, Kilik, squared off with Tira while Xianghua, the Chinese girl, wielded Soul Calibur in a fierce battle with Nightmare. The warriors of light and darkness clashed in a duel that lasted for well over an hour. Finally, in one final burst of anger, Nightmare brought down Soul Edge with all his might, crushing the spirit sword and slicing the frail Chinese girl in one movement. Xianghua screamed her last breath as she collapsed lifelessly to the ground. Nightmare looked back at Tira, who sat watching on Kilik's severed head. At seeing the spirit sword shatter, her eyes widened with joy and she bolted over to the azure knight.

"My lord! You've done it! Soul Calibur is no more!" she proclaimed.

"Yes…now there is nothing that can stand in my way. At last…" the azure knight raised Soul Edge high into the night sky. "This world will drown in my darkness!"

Nightmare laughed maniacally as a brilliant red light burst from the cursed sword. Tira joined in his laughter as the moon turned the color of blood, resting her hand in Nightmare's. The azure knight paid no mind to the contact, too thrilled with success to care how the two of them looked at the moment. The entire world shook with fear, knowing that without the spirit sword, it was only a matter of time before darkness consumed every living thing in existence.

* * *

The azure knight sat on his throne in the now rebuilt Ostrheinsburg Castle, the cursed sword at his side. He sighed in boredom. It had been three months since the spirit sword had fallen at his hands. Three months since he had claimed ownership of the world. Three months of doing absolutely nothing while the souls of the world were slowly succumbing to Soul Edge. Souls were no longer satisfying for the azure knight. The pleasure of killing was long forgotten. He desired something, anything that could grant him some sense of satisfaction. His thoughts drifted to Tira, who currently sat petting one of her many crows. Somehow, the insane girl had managed to find a way to keep herself entertained, and was almost always smiling whenever she was in his presence. He seemed to be thinking of her a lot lately, Nightmare realized. Her violet eyes shining with madness, the gentle rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. He thought about something he had heard in years past, something the humans had often spoken of when he killed someone of importance to someone else. They had some kind attachment, some word they used for attraction towards each other. What was it? Love? Yes, that was it. Love. Was that what he felt for Tira? No, preposterous. He was a monster, a murderer, as far from human as he deemed possible. And yet he had spared her life. And let her join his side. And even held her hand and laughed with her when he had finally destroyed his enemy. Maybe this is what he was searching for, maybe this was the satisfaction he needed. Either way, it was better than sitting in a damn chair doing nothing. Nightmare stood up and turned toward his servant.

"Tira." he said.

"Yes my lord?" Tira responded, excited to see her master standing for the first time in weeks.

"Come to my chambers immediately. I wish to discuss something with you."

Tira's cheeks turned red at his words. She nodded in compliance and followed Nightmare. The azure knight's chambers were like those of a king, yet were untouched as there was never any need for him to rest. Nightmare sat on the edge of his bed, and Tira sat beside him. There was an awkward silence for a moment before Nightmare cleared his throat in preparation.

"Tira, have you ever…loved someone, before?" he asked.

Tira looked flabbergasted at her master. "What the hell brought that up all of a sudden?!"

"I was just curious. I seem to be having a strange longing recently, and it cannot be filled by souls or violence. I often times find myself thinking of someone, and I think it could be…love. I don't know anything about such an emotion, and since you are a bit more human than I am, I thought you might know."

Tira fell silent for a moment. "I…I see. Well, I never really felt love for anyone. It was such a useless emotion, after all. But…"

"But?"

"I guess, you could say there's a man I…love. He's big and strong, and won't let anything stop him. I've admired him for a long time now, but I don't think he's ever really noticed."

There was…sadness…in her tone. Nightmare grew concerned at this, and began to wonder about this man who could be so blind to someone as beautiful as Tira. Then, he realized just who the 'man' was, and felt an unfamiliar wave of guilt wash over him. He reached out with his armored human hand and pulled Tira close. She looked up at the azure knight in surprise.

"M-my lord?"

"I'm sorry. I should've paid more attention to you." he said softly.

As odd as it was to be comforted by the azure knight of all people, Tira smiled and welcomed the embrace by resting her head on Nightmare's shoulder.

"And you're wrong, I have noticed."

Tira looked up at Nightmare.

"And I feel like an idiot for taking so long to figure out that I am the same with you."

Tira reached up and grasped the sides of the knight's helmet, hesitating before taking it off. She gasped at the sight of Nightmare's exposed face. He had darkened skin as a result of malfestation, red eyes with yellow irises, and scar over his right eye. His long red hair cascaded down his face and a light amount of beard hair stretched across his lower jaw, a result of not having cut it in who knows how long. Nightmare frowned.

"I'm sorry if I am not what you expected." he said.

"No, you're better than I expected." she said, eyes aglow with admiration.

For what felt like the first time in his life, the azure knight smiled. He caressed Tira's cheek with his normal hand, then captured her lips in a strong kiss. Tira blinked her eyes in surprise before closing them and returning the kiss she had longed for for so long. Wrapping her arms around the knight's neck, she deepened the kiss until the need to breathe outweighed that of pleasure. The two evil beings stared into each other's eyes, an immense lust like nothing either had ever felt before quickly building up in them both. The distance between their lips closed again, and they soon added their tongues to the mix, weaving around each other in a playful dance. Tira reached around Nightmare to grip the straps on his chest plate before quickly doing away with them. Nightmare tore the armor from his chest before tearing off his gauntlet. Tira yelped in surprise when the knight's malfested hand shot out and tore off her top, then let out an erotic gasp when he pressed his human hand against her breast. Nightmare stopped at the sound. Suddenly filled with the desire to hear more sounds like that, he proceeded to kneed the breast in his hand, shortly before capturing the other in his mouth. Tira moaned in pleasure.

"Ah! My lord!" she gasped.

Nightmare smirked before licking the nipple in his mouth, causing Tira to cry out louder than before. The girl then put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back onto the bed. Nightmare was about to protest, but stopped when he found Tira unfastening the armor at his waist. She pulled the crotch piece apart and gasped at the sight of the knight's length. She hesitated a moment before reaching out and stroking it with her hand. This earned a groan of approval from Nightmare, and she smiled as she began to increase the pace of her strokes, then put her mouth around his rod. Nightmare continued to groan until he arched his head back and released. Tira coughed a couple of times before wiping the remnants of the substance from her mouth.

"S-sorry. It felt so good that I couldn't-" he tried.

But Tira wasn't listening. Instead she was standing up and in the process of removing her lower garments. She nervously crossed her legs as her panties slipped down her leg and onto the floor.

"My lord…please…make me yours…" she whispered.

Nightmare nodded and pulled her into a soft kiss. Gently resting her back on the bed, Nightmare looked into her eyes.

"Tira, this is probably going to hurt." he warned.

Tira smiled weakly. "Of course it will, it's you after all."

Then, slowly, he slid inside her. Tira cried out in pain, and Nightmare stopped at the sight of blood where they were connected.

"You're…a virgin?"

"I…saved myself…for you…"

"I see. If you're alright, I'm going to move now."

"Yes, please move."

And Nightmare obliged, slowly thrusting in and out before gradually picking up speed. Tira moaned and gasped beneath him, wrapping her arms around him and crying out when they both finally released. Nightmare collapsed on top of here, exhausted. The evil pair panted and gasped for breath.

"I could (pant) get used (pant) to this…" Nightmare wheezed.

"(pant) I hope (pant) you do (pant) my lord…"

"And don't call me 'my lord' anymore. Just call me Nightmare."

Tira smiled and kissed the azure knight. "As you wish, Nightmare…"


End file.
